How the skills shortage could be boosted by neurodiverse talent

We are in the midst of a fierce battle for talent that has been raging for the best part of a year or more. As organisations continue to struggle to fill the people gaps they have, employers need to rethink their existing hiring strategies in a bid to untap an area of the workforce they may not have fully explored to date. We’re not just talking about diversity and inclusion; we’re referring to truly diverse and inclusive hiring.

As we have discussed previously, overcoming inclusion and diversity challenges and widening the talent pool will be crucial to solving this talent challenge and excluding any part of the workforce will mean that employers are missing out on a rich pool of candidates with the skillsets they need.

Neurodiversity refers to the variation in human cognitive function. It is estimated that as many as one in five people in the UK have neurodevelopmental differences which result in a less typical way of learning and processing information. Dyslexia, dyspraxia, autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are all forms of neurodivergence, and there are many others.

Many people with these disorders have higher-than-average abilities and research shows that some conditions, can bestow special skills and attributes. For example, dyslexia is often associated with creativity, communication and ‘big-picture’ thinking whereas individuals with dyspraxia can display empathy, leadership and problem-solving skills. Those with autism are often efficient, analytical thinkers, with keen attention to detail, while people with ADHD can be innovative, enthusiastic and hyper-focused. So why then, with at least 30-40 per cent of neurodivergent unemployed and an ever-growing need for digital talent, are we not doing more to tap into the potential presented by neurodivergent thinking?

Despite these talents, those affected often struggle to fit the profiles sought by prospective employers. As highlighted above, around one in three neurodivergent adults in the UK are of working age yet not in the workforce. Which is three times the rate for people with a disability, and eight times the rate for people without a disability.

Employment statistics show that around half of disabled people (52 per cent) aged 16 to 64 years in the UK were employed in 2020 compared with around 8 in 10 (81.3 per cent) of non-disabled people. Of that group, just 21.7 per cent of autistic people were in employment.

Reports also reveal that disabled people are less likely to be employed in senior roles - suggesting that many of those who are employed are actually under-employed.

So, why are these highly skilled individuals not being hired or promoted?

You don’t need to go far to see how the odds can be stacked against neurodivergent individuals entering work. The behaviours of many neurodiverse people run counter to common notions of what makes a good employee such as emotional intelligence, persuasiveness and the ability to conform to standard practices. These criteria systematically screen out neurodiverse people.

The everyday office environment also presents barriers. Conventional aspects such as small talk at the coffee machine and loud talking on the phone, while normal to some, can be extremely difficult to navigate for neurodivergent individuals.

Furthermore, although neurodiverse people may excel in important areas, many don’t interview well. For example, those with autism can be overly honest about their weaknesses and others may have confidence problems arising from previously difficult interview situations. Neurodiverse people more broadly are unlikely to earn higher scores in interviews than less-talented neurotypical candidates.

There are simple steps employers can take

Combine workplace and HR challenges, with stressful hiring processes and you can see why many neurodiverse candidates are not able to find suitable employment.

However, there are some simple solutions. The rise in homeworking, for example, has the potential to provide new opportunities for neurodiverse individuals. Being able to offer an alternative to a noisy, busy office space and eliminate the unpredictable nature of impromptu chats, is likely to build an environment much more conducive to productive working.

That being said, offices do provide more structure which could suit some individuals better, so, it will be a matter of listening to your employees’ needs and suggestions, something that employers would be doing anyway in an ideal world!

Formal interview processes can also be tweaked to include different types of assessment which will still allow companies to determine the candidate's ability to do the job but decreases the anxiety-inducing formalities. Diagnostic tests and assignments, for instance, followed by a more informal chat could be a good way to test skillsets without on-the-spot questioning.

Inclusion = highly skilled talent

Employers can often be daunted by the prospect of the changes that may need to be made to hire neurodiverse talent,

Neurodiverse people frequently need workplace adjustments such as headphones to prevent auditory overstimulation or to maximally leverage their abilities. Sometimes they exhibit challenging eccentricities, but the reality is that most of these challenges and changes are manageable, and the potential returns are great.

These tweaks will likely benefit the whole team. Practices like ensuring that you understand an employee’s individual needs and taking a personalised approach to their working routine will only serve to ensure that your employees feel supported and are working to the best of their ability.

Neurodiverse people’s talents are often not being fully utilised and could be hugely valuable to organisations, especially those with gaps in their technological and digital skillsets. Those workplaces that have already implemented neurodiversity programs have reported productivity gains, quality improvement, boosts in innovative capabilities, and broad increases in employee engagement, as well as having the ripple effect of managers thinking more deeply about leveraging the talents of all employees.

Many individuals welcome the concept of neurodiversity and believe that differences should be accommodated for and embraced. Everyone is to some extent differently-abled because we are all born different and raised differently. Employers will do well to recognise and embrace these variants to attract and retain innovative and highly skilled candidates.